WisdomTree (NasdaqGM: WETF) can boast of another $1 billion exchange traded fund in its lineup as the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Fund (NYSEArca: DFE) has joined that exclusive ETF club.
Those that closely follow DFE probably are not surprised by the ETF’s ascent to the $1 billion in assets under management mark. Last year, the fund was the best-performing Europe ETF with a gain of 45.4%. [Value in European Small-Caps]
“DFE’s strong performance in 2013 was not a one-off. As we look back to its long-term performance, DFE has a compelling track record that includes its ranking as the number two fund out of 104 funds in the three-year ranking, and the fifth-ranked fund of 89 funds with a five-year history on a total return basis, beating at least 95% of its peer group over each of those periods,” said WisdomTree Research Director Jeremy Schwartz in a note out earlier this month. [WisdomTree: European Small-Caps Separate From The Pack]
Making DFE’s jump to $1 billion all the more impressive is the short order in which the ETF made the move. Of its $1.01 billion in assets, nearly $468 million has come into the fund since early December.
DFE has outpaced large-cap focused diversified Europe ETFs this year as well as the Russell 2000 on its way to bringing in nearly $355 million in fresh capital, cementing the fund’s status as destination for some of the cash that has flowed out of emerging markets ETFs. [Where Some of That Lost EM Cash is Flowing]
DFE, which debuted in June 2006, is heavily focused on more conservative European markets with the U.K. and Sweden combining for 39% of the fund’s weight. Ten Eurozone members are found among the 15 countries represented in DFE with Italy receiving the largest weight at 12.3%. Germany at 10.2% is the only other country in DFE to garner a double-digit allocation.
DFE tracks the WisdomTree Europe SmallCap Dividend Index (WTESC), which weighs companies based on annual cash dividends paid. The index had a dividend yield of 3.68% as of Feb. 7, according to WisdomTree data.